Surrendered Into Maturity
"Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God." - 1 Corinthians 4:1
Corinth was a place where everything that the world had to offer was readily available. A place where you could fulfill every desire of the flesh. It has been compared to Las Vegas. And yet, Paul remained. He ministered there for a year and a half. He stayed because the Lord had many of His own there (Acts 18:11). Now Paul is writing back to them after about four years. He is writing to them about stewardship and maturity. This church should have been mature. It should have been growing its understanding of the mysteries of God. Yet it was not.
That is what we are to do as the body of Christ. We are to continue to grow in the saving knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And it is done by the work of the Holy Spirit. You cannot force yourself. You cannot say, “I’m not going to sin anymore.” That is all striving. That is trying to work things out in your flesh. You have to surrender and let God have you completely. It is a work from the Spirit of God.
It is important to remember, Paul was living and writing what was to become the New Testament Scriptures. As he spoke to the disciples then, Paul is speaking to us today. We have the same responsibility. To grow and mature in our Christian faith.
There is never a time when we study the Bible to claim it is not speaking to us personally. When we truly listen to God’s Word taught, we should never think it is for someone else. We should never think, “Oh, I wish so and so were here to hear this message.” How many times do we believe that? The message we are listening to is not for others; it is for us. It is for us because we are the ones present and listening. So, take it to heart. You will then grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
So often, when I am sharing from the pulpit, others come up to me and tell me how it ministered to them. And I stand back in awe because many times, it was not in my notes. It was the Holy Spirit bringing the right message at the right time for a particular situation. And I sit back and laugh to myself and say, “Thank you, Lord.” Because it was not me, it was the Lord working through me. God’s Word never comes back void. If we are truly listening, the Holy Spirit will examine us and change our lives. Surrender and let the Spirit have His way in you today.
"Maturity is produced in the life of a child of God on the unconscious level until we become so totally surrendered to God that we are not even aware of being used by Him."
- Oswald Chambers